relocate

American  

[ree-loh-kayt, ree-loh-kayt] / riˈloʊ keɪt, ˌri loʊˈkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• relocates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relocated,
  past participle,  past
• relocating
  present participle

1. to move (a building, company, etc.) to a different location.

   plans to relocate the firm to Houston.

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verb (used without object)

• relocates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relocated,
  past participle,  past
• relocating
  present participle

1. to change one's residence or place of business; move.

   Next year we may relocate to Denver.

relocate British  

/ ˌriːləʊˈkeɪt /

verb

1. to move or be moved to a new place, esp (of an employee, a business, etc) to a new area or place of employment

2. (intr) (of an employee, a business, etc) to move for reasons of business to a new area or place of employment

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• relocation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• relocating
  present
• relocated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• relocate
  simple
• relocates
  simple
• have relocated
  perfect
• has relocated
  perfect
• am relocating
  progressive
• are relocating
  progressive
• is relocating
  progressive
• have been relocating
  perfect progressive
• has been relocating
  perfect progressive

Past

• relocated
  simple
• had relocated
  perfect
• was relocating
  progressive
• were relocating
  progressive
• had been relocating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will relocate
  simple
• will have relocated
  perfect
• will be relocating
  progressive
• will have been relocating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of relocate

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; re- + locate

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Explanation

When you relocate, you move to a new location and settle into a new place. If you live in New York City but you get a job in Phoenix, you'll have to relocate to Arizona to start your new career. The word relocate came into English in the 1800s from re, meaning "back, again," and locate, meaning "to settle." Relocate refers not only to moving to a new place but also to establishing yourself there. It typically involves finding a new place to live, making new friends, finding your way around your new town or city — even getting cable TV installed. For some people, this can be an exciting adventure; for others, it's a daunting challenge of to-do lists.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relocate relocates relocated relocating

Since 2019, the most common reason people give when they sell their home and relocate is that they want to be near friends and family, Lautz said, citing NAR data.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Carmarthenshire Council issued Wale with an enforcement notice alleging he had broken planning rules, but he has been given more time to relocate the animals.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Russian forces have edged close to the city's eastern fringes, which has prompted calls for the civilians who remain to relocate to safer regions of Ukraine.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The company is headquartered in Irvine but has plans to relocate its corporate offices back to Baldwin Park by 2029.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

As the Japanese tightened their grip on the Philippines, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered General MacArthur to leave the Philippines and relocate to Australia so General MacArthur could regroup, strategize, and return, ready to fight.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

If a family relocates, say, for a better job, they can carry their assistance with them within a given region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Qiu's research suggests pollution is shifting west as heavy industry relocates to regions like Xinjiang, and that some cities in China have seen double-digit percentage increases in PM2.5 in the last five years.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

Ghost of Yōtei relocates the action a few hundred miles north, to the Honshū region, and the setting a few hundred years later, to 1603.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025

In Paris, a public-private partnership, SEM Paris Commerces, relocates small businesses to empty storefronts, cultivating commercial strips that are far more interesting for strolling than scrolling.

From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2024

General Douglas MacArthur, the officer in charge of the United States Army Forces in the Far East, abandons his home in Manila and relocates to the fortified island of Corregidor.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Marcia Kaiser, 76, and her husband relocated from Bergen County, N.J., to South Orange, N.J., in 2020 to be closer to one of their daughters and two grandchildren.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Pelland and her husband later moved two hours away to Wilmington, N.C., where they now live near their daughter, who also relocated to the area.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

After the visit, the child was relocated to China, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

About 260 families currently live in Jersey having relocated through the scheme.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

That same year, once we thought the girls were old enough, we all relocated to Bluefield, Virginia, so Jimmie wouldn’t have to do so much driving.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Melissa Joan Hart is coming up on six years in Music City, after relocating from Connecticut with her husband, Mark Wilkerson, and their three sons.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Duke of Sussex has said he "slipped into depression for about two weeks" after relocating to Canada in 2019 ahead of his move to the US.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Klitschko said residents with friends or relatives outside Kyiv should consider temporarily relocating -- repeating a suggestion that had triggered a backlash last year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Expand has said relocating will allow it to be closer to other energy companies and customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

“No, we’re relocating closer to your mother’s house.”

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

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